LaKeith Stanfield has added another title to his résumé: recording artist.
The actor, known for standout roles in Atlanta, Judas & The Black Messiah, and Get Out, has officially released his major-label debut single, “Fast Life,” on Def Jam.
The track features Kid Cudi and comes with a short-film style video directed by frequent collaborator Jeymes Samuel.
For Stanfield, music has been more than a side hustle—it’s been his first love. “I’ve been doing it since I was 11. I’ve always loved music,” he told Vibe. Even when filming across the world, he admitted he was constantly writing, recording, or experimenting with sound.
With “Fast Life,” he’s ready to share that part of himself publicly: “I rap, I sing, I scream until I don’t have a voice. It’s time to let it out.”
The song carries weight from an earlier chapter in his life. “I originally wrote and recorded this song about seven years ago,” he explained. “My life was turbulent, exciting, and sad. This song explores that feeling in my journey.”
At the time, fame had just hit. “It was a barrage of different things coming from different directions. I went from anonymity to n****s running up on me, like, ‘What’s up, Get Out?’”
The whirlwind ended with rehab, a turning point that gave Stanfield the clarity to turn negative experiences into art.
Cudi’s presence on the track, he said, happened almost effortlessly. “He and I both speak our hearts, so I approached him with the record when revisiting it for official release. I’m grateful he joined me.”
According to Stanfield, Cudi recorded his part in record time: “He did that verse in five minutes. I’ve never seen no s**t like that in my life.”
The visuals for “Fast Life” add another layer. Narrated by Taraji P. Henson and featuring cameos from John Boyega, David Oyelowo, Madeline Brewer, Jimmy Akingbola, and Stanfield’s wife, Kasmere, the four-minute teaser sets up an 18-minute short film still to come.
Samuel, who directed The Harder They Fall and The Book of Clarence, brought his signature touch. Stanfield called their connection “weird in a beautiful way,” saying Samuel always asks, “How do we lather it in some elements of creepiness, and embed some deeper meaning?”